Great Basketball

This year, one of the women's basketball regionals was only two hours away from our house.  Obviously, we got tickets and went to see some awesome basketball!  We actually bought the tickets before the selection show so we had no idea what teams we would be watching.  But it was the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight, whomever it was, it would be good.  Lucky for us, it turned out to be Tennessee and my all time favorite coach, Pat Summit.  I have loved Tennessee Women's Basketball and Pat Summit for as long as I can remember.  If I would have been good enough for her to recruit me, I would have asked where to sign the moment she contacted me.  Pat Summit is the all-time winningest coach in history.  She has won 1,098 basketball games.  That is absolutely astounding!  Last summer, she announced that she has early onset dementia, which will likely lead to Alzheimer's.  There has been much speculation of this season being her last in coaching.  If that is so, I got to see her last game in person.  And so did Aria, Justin and my parents!  While we didn't get to take any photos like this:

...we did have a wonderful time watching basketball as a family.  When asked who we were cheering for, Aria would reply, "Tennessee."  She also was heard saying, "Go Lady Vols!  Go Lady Vols!"  And, she knows the coach of Tennessee is "Pat Summit hold you little baby."  We got to take the above picture when Aria was about three weeks old at a game for the team I used to coach.  Pat Summit was there recruiting one of our players.  The poor lady was bombarded all night long for autographs and I wasn't going to bother her, but my mom marched right up and asked for a picture with Aria.  Coach Summit replied, "Can I hold her?"  And, I am so thankful for my mom's boldness and such a cool picture! 

We actually watched three basketball games, two on Saturday and one on Monday.  Saturday's match-ups were Tennessee vs. Kansas and Baylor vs. Georgia Tech.  Monday was Baylor vs. Tennessee.  Baylor is this year's best team.  They are undefeated and it will be a tall task for anyone to beat them.  They have 6'8 Brittney Griner, who made a ridiculous dunk in the game on Saturday.  Yes, I said dunk, as in pull herself up on the rim after she threw it down.  It was crazy. 

These are the kinds of events that my parents and Justin and I love.  We went to the women's Final Four three years ago and have been to many other cool sporting events.  In fact, my mom told me I was about Aria's age when we went to a regional basketball game in Louisville in route to our vacation in Florida.  This stuff has been in my blood for a long time.  It is so fun to see Aria enjoy what we love, too.  I realize she doesn't have much choice now, but she really did like the basketball.  Okay, she loved the mascots, the cheering, the music, the popcorn, and sitting with Grandma.  But she did have fun and didn't really complain. 

Thanks mom and dad for a really fun trip and special memories made!